We are proud to service all Trades, as well as Laboratory Referrals, Property Agents and Insurance Claims. Our Supervisors also have experience in construction, building, renovating and health science.

WHAT IS ASBESTOS?

Asbestos is the name given to a number of naturally occurring fibrous silicate minerals. It is strong and heat resistant, which is why it was widely used in a range of products. Since 31 December 2003, asbestos and all products containing asbestos have been banned Australia-wide.They cannot be imported, stored, supplied, sold, installed, used or re-used. Unfortunately asbestos is found in Residential and Commercial buildings still, heavily throughout Brisbane.

Asbestos has been used in roofing, asbestos cement sheets and pipes, clutch and brake linings, insulation, building materials,
boilers, electrical fittings, gaskets, floor tiles, plastics, textiles and other products. It now requires special equipment to be removed safely and effectively.

Asbestos fibres can cause health problems if they are breathed in. The body will remove most fibres that are breathed in, but some may get trapped in the lungs and cause disease many years later.

Friable Asbestos

Any asbestos-containing materials that are fragile in nature fall under this category. These products at their dry state can be easily powdered without applying too much pressure. So, using your bare hands should be more than enough to crush it. When friable asbestos products are disturbed, it will release fibres into the air that can be inhaled and can cause serious health problems (which we’re going to discuss later). Overall, this type of asbestos is more dangerous; it should be contained properly and best left untouched. Some examples of friable asbestos are:

Paper Products

Vinyl Sheets

Patching Compounds

Asbestos Clothing (fire blankets)

Sprayed Insulation

Friable lagging

Non-Friable Asbestos

The second type of asbestos product is stronger and more durable in nature as the mineral is firmly bonded to the material. You need considerable pressure or force to destroy these products and reduce them into powder form. Even if an asbestos-containing material gets broken, it only releases minimal amounts of fibre into the air. So, as long as nobody intentionally breaks or damages the product, it does not pose any significant health risk. Some examples of non-friable asbestos are:

Cement compounds and products

Vinyl floor tiles

Asbestos corrugated roofing

Ceiling tiles

It should be taken into consideration that almost all non-friable products can become friable. This transition happens due to abrasion, fire damage, weathering, chemical treatment, and, of course, old age. The best examples are:

Old, rusted, and damaged corrugated roofing

Broken cement walls

Identifying Asbestos – What it Looks Like and How to Confirm

Now that you know what asbestos is and its two major types, the next challenge is identifying them. First and foremost, you should be aware by now that at present, asbestos-containing materials are no longer available for you or anyone else to purchase. It is banned and will remain that way due to its health risk which greatly outweighs its benefits. However, since before 2003, it was still available. Most houses at that time were almost always constructed using asbestos-containing products.

For starters, you should know what asbestos looks like in its raw form. In general, the most common ones you’ll see are Amosite (brown), Crocidolite (blue), and Chrysotile (white). They appear as a thin fibrous fuzz or strands. These fibres, when present in the air, can be seen by the naked eye and should only be approached by a professional.

As a general guide, if you’ve purchased a house (or plan on buying one) that was built before 2003, it is likely that asbestos products were used and there is a significant risk of exposure.

Even if you can’t identify any asbestos-related materials, you must assume that there may be some present as a precautionary measure. To make sure, always ask for professional assistance and call a consultant to inspect the house and get it tested. Laboratory testing is the only means to confirm the presence of asbestos accurately.

Dangers of Asbestos

Asbestos is toxic to humans and considered a carcinogenic substance. Though it has impressive enhancement capabilities to other materials, inhaling this substance can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other respiratory health problems.

There has been a case study that 208 out of 1047 employees who directly dealt with asbestos in significant amounts died from malignant tumours. The tumours were all found in their respiratory system.

The reason why it causes such a problem is due to its sheer durability. It does not dissolve on its own even after extended periods of time. Thus, your body will have a hard time removing it. It will stay for long durations in your respiratory system when inhaled.

Asbestos is a natural mineral and is present in a lot of places, but only in minute amounts which do not pose any health risks.

WHAT DO OUR CUSTOMERS SAY?

Very happy with the quality of the work, reliability and service!

RiverCity completed the work efficiently and in a timely manner. Ross of RiverCity also
recommended (on my request) tradesmen to carry out associated electrical work and gyprock re-sheeting
Overall, a good outcome!

MikeBAsbestos RemovalApril 25, 2016

RiverCity Asbestos Removals were fantastic!

RiverCity Asbestos Removals were awesome.
Ross in particular was great- communication from him was consistent and he delivered
excellent customer service. The price they quoted was very good value as well.

DavidVirginia, QLDApril 25, 2016

Professional and Timely

We have been renovating an old Queenslander for a number of years.
The house over time has had many changes and additions which included the use of many
asbestos based products. We have used many companies to remove this over the time we’ve renovated,
and found RiverCity Asbestos to be both prompt in the quoting process and able to work in
with our time frames to remove the material.The site was professionally prepared for the removal
and left in an exceptionally clean state after the job was finished.
Ross and his team arrived on time and finished the job as per the specification of the job.
I thank RiverCity Asbestos for the service and would recommend them to anyone in the future.

JamesLutwycheApril 29, 2016

Professional and Thorough

Ross (and staff) your professionalism and thoroughness before, during and after the job has been amazing.
I can honestly say that I would have no hesitation in recommending your company to anyone I know
requiring asbestos removal services.

AinsleyToowongMay 18, 2016

Quality Assurance

We contracted River City Asbestos to remove the asbestos from our 90 year old home at Camp Hill.
Not only was their price competitive, they were very thorough ensuring the safe removal of
all the asbestos including a quality check upon completion. I thoroughly recommend them.